Method of and means for waving hair by steam heat



March 1, 1932. H. R. VAN KIRK 1,847,735 I METHOD OF AND MEANS FORWAVTNG' HAIR BY STEAM HEAT Filed Feb. 11. ,1931

ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 1, 1 932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD R.KIRK, OF IILARCHMONT, YORK, ASSIGNOR T GIEIN'ERAL PERMA- NENT WAVECORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK METHOD OF ANDMEANS FOR WAVING HAIR BY STEAM HEAT I Application filed February 11,1931. Serial No. 515,003.

Heretofore where steam heathasbeen utilized for permanently waving hairit has been difficult, if not impossible, to prevent the leakage ordripping of the water of condensation from the heaters for the woundtresses, said water of condensation because of its great heat tending toscald and burn the scalp of the person being'treated. Furthermore, ithas been diflicult to so remove the heater at the end of the steamingoperation that more or less ofthe water of condensation will not comeinto contact with the person being treated.

The object of my invention is to effectually overcome these diflicultiesby the formation of a partial vacuum in the heaters either during orafter the steaming operation or both during and after the steamingoperation, said partial vacuum serving to efiiectually draw the water ofcondensation from the heaters.

Practical means for carrying out my invention are represented in theaccompanying drawings in which: 7

Fig. 1 represents a steam hair waving apparatus in which a vacuum pumpis employed acting as a suction means for drawing the water ofcondensation from the wound tress heaters by forming a partial vacuumtherein;

Fig. 2 represents a detail longitudinal sectional view of one of theheaters; and

Fig. 3 represents a diagrammatic detail view showing a steam ejectoracting as a suction means for drawing the water of con densation fromthe heaters by forming a partial vacuum therein.

The construction, arrangement and operation of the several parts of theillustrated steam hair waving apparatus is as follows A suitablesupporting standard for the various parts is herein shown as comprisinga base 1 and a hollow upright 2 having a lateral or overhanging branch 3terminating in a depending branch 4. In the form shown in Fig. 1 abracket 5 is mounted on the standard upright 2 and serves as a supportfor a boiler water feed pump 6, a vacuum pump 7 and their drivingelectric motor 8.

A second bracket 11 is mounted on the standard upright 2 and serves as asupport for the boiler water feed tank 12.

A third bracket 13 is mounted on the standard upright 2 and serves as asupport for the tank 1 1 which receives the water of condensation fromthe wound hair heaters.

These three brackets 5, 11 and 13 may be vertically and rotativelyadjustable on the standard upright so that they may be brought into thedesired relationship to each other and to the steam boiler.

The steam boiler 15 which supplies the steam to the wound tress heatersis shown as suspended from the depending branch 4 of the standardupright 2, which boiler may be provided with a steam dome 16. Means suchas an electric unit 17 may be employed for heating the boiler.

The hair waving appliances per se, which include the mandrels 18 onwhich the tresses are wound and their steamheaters 19 form the subjectmatter of a copending application 7 filed by me of even date herewith,its serial number being 515,004.

The heaters may be suspended from the standard upright with their inneror scalp ends lower than their outer ends by any well known or approvedmeans, not shown herein.

As all of the hair waving appliances are alike and are connected up inthe same way to the boiler, to the receiving tank and to the suctionmeans, one only of said appliances and its connections will bedescribed.

The higher outer end of each of the heaters is provided with a steaminlet nipple 20 and an exhaust nipple 21. The exhaust nipple 21 has asuction tube extension 22 leading to the lower inner. or scalp end ofthe heater along its under side, through which extension the water ofcondensation is drawn.

The steam inlet nipple 20 is connected by a flexible tube 23 with asteam chamber 24,

which steam chamber is in turn connected to the steam dome 16-of theboiler by a pipe 25 provided with a hand valve 26.

The exhaust nipple 21 of the heater is connected by a flexible tube 27with a nipple 28 -which projects upwardly to a point near the top of anexhaust chamber 29, the bottom of which chamber is connected through apipe 30 with a suction chamber 31 common to all the heaters, saidchamber surrounding the depending branch 4 of the standard upright 2.This pipe 30 is also provided With a hand valve 32.

The boiler water feed tank 12 is connected to the boiler feed pump 6through a pipe 33 having a hand valve 34. The feed pump itself isconnected to the boiler 15 through a pipe 35.

The common suction chamber 31 is connected to the condensate receivingtank 14 through a pipe 36 having a hand valve 37 adjacent the tank. Abranch pipe 38 leads from the pipe 36 to the vacuum pump 7, said branchpipe having a hand valve 39 therein.

These pipes 35, 36' and 38 may be located for a considerable portion oftheir lengths within the hollow upright 2 and its branches.

The vacuum pump 7 is connected to the condensate receiving tank 14through the pipe 40, and said tank 14 is provided with an outlet pipe 41having a hand valve 42.

In Fig. 3 I have shown another form of suction means for forming apartial vacuum in the wound tress heaters to remove the condensatetherefrom, said means being of the steam ejector type and including asmall branch steam pipe 43 leading from the pipe 25 into the exhaustpipe 36, said steam pipe 43 having a hand valve 44 for controlling theoperation of the ejector.

My method and apparatus may be used in several ways to insure theelimination of the condensate from the wound tress heaters. Forinstance, during the entire steaming operation the steam may be passedfrom the boiler through the wound tress heaters and back to thereceiving tank together with its condensate by utilizing the suctionmeans to form a partial vacuum in the heaters. \Vhere the vacuum pump 7is used this result may be accomplished by opening the hand valves 26,32 and 39 and closing the hand valve 37. Where the steam ejector is usedthe Valves 26, 32, 37 and 44 may be opened. I

'Also, thev hair steaming operation may be used without a partial vacuumbeing formed in the wound tress heaters by closing the valve 39 andopening the valve 37 and where the vacuum pump is used after thesteaming operation has been completed, the valve 37 may be closed andthe valve 39 opened, to produce the partial vacuum in the heaters forremoving the condensate therefrom to the receiving tank 14. Where thesteam ejector is used the injector hand valve 44 may be closed duringthe steaming operation and then opened after the steaming operation iscompleted, for forming a partial vacuum in the wound tress heaters todraw the condensate therefrom.

It will be understood that if so desired the suction or vacuum formingmeans may be utilized both during the steaming operation and thereafterensuring the continuous Withdrawal of the condensate from the woundtress heaters.

To reduce the number of pipes 25 and their hand valves 26 the steamchamber 24 may feed a number of the heaters 19 through their flexibletubes 23.

Similarly, to reduce the number of suction pipes 30 and their handvalves 32 the chamber 29 may take care of the condensate from a numberof the heaters 19 through their flexible tubes 27.

From the above description it Willbe seen that by forming a partialvacuum in the Wound tress heaters the Withdrawal of the condensatetherefrom except the taken up by the wound tress, is insured and anydanger of the leakage or drippng of the condensate on to the personbeing treated is absolutely eliminated.

It will also be seen that by utilizing this partial vacuum in the woundtress heaters the heaters will cool very much more quickly than wherethe condensate has been permitted to remain therein, thus allowing theremoval of the heaters from the wound tress much sooner than heretofore.

It is evident that various changes may be resorted to in theconstruction, forms and arrangement of the several parts withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do notintend to be limited to the particular embodiment herein shown anddescribed, but

What I claim is 1. The method of waving hair by steam heat whichconsists in feeding the steam to a wound tress heater and drawing thecondensate therefrom by suction.

2. The method of waving hair by steam heat which consists in feeding thesteam to a wound tress heater and drawing the condensate therefrom bysuction during the steaming operation.

3. The method of waving hair by steam heat which consists in feeding thesteam to a wound tress heater and drawing the condensate therefrom bysuction during and after the steaming operation. i 4. The method ofwaving hair by steam heat which consists in feeding the steam to a woundtress heater and drawing the condensate therefrom by suction after thesteaming operation has; been completed.

5. The method of waving hair by steam heat which consists in feeding thesteam through a wound tress heater and forming a partial vacuum in theheater to draw the condensate therefrom. Q

6. The method of waving hair by steam heat which consists in feeding thesteam through a wound tress heater and forming a. partial vacuum in theheater during the steaming operation to draw the condensate therefrom.

7. The method of waving hair by steam heat which consists in feeding thesteam through a wound tress heater and forming a pai tial vacuum in theheater during and after the steaming operation to draw the condensatetherefrom. I

8. The method of waving hair by steam heat which consists in feeding thesteam through a wound tress heater and forming a partial vacuum in theheater after the steaming operation has been completed to draw thecondensate therefrom.

9. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,means for feeding the steam thereto and suction means for drawing thecondensate therefrom.

10. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,means for feeding the steam thereto and a vacuum pump for drawing thecondensate therefrom.

11. In an apparatus for waving hairby steam heat, a wound tress heater,meansfor feeding the steam thereto and an ejector for drawing thecondensate therefrom.

12. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,means for feeding the steam thereto and suction means for drawing thecondensate therefrom during the steaming operation.

13. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,means for feeding the steam thereto and suction means fordrawing thecondensate therefrom dur ing and after the steaming operation.

14. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a Wound tress heater,means for feeding the steam thereto and suction means for drawing thecondensate therefrom after the steaming operation has been completed.

15. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,means for feeding steam thereto and means for forming a partial vacuumin the heater to draw the condensate therefrom 16. In an apparatus forwaving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater, means for feeding steamthereto and means for forming a partial vacuum in the heater during thesteaming operation for drawing the condensate therefrom.

17. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a. wound tressheater, means for feeding steam thereto and means for forming a partialvacuum in the heater during and after the steaming operation for drawingthe condensate therefrom.

18. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,means for feeding steam thereto and means for forming a partial vacuumin the heater after the steaming operation has been completed for vingthe condensate therefrom.

19. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,a steam boiler, a condensate receiving tank, passages leading from theboiler to the heater and from the heater to the receiving tank and asuction means for forming a partial vacuum in the heater for drawing thecondensate therefrom.

20. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,a steam boiler, a condensate receiving tank, passages leading from theboiler to the heater and from the heaterto the receiving tank and asuction means for forming a partial vacuum in the heater for drawing thecondensate therefrom during the steaming operation.

21. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,a steam boiler, a condensate receiving tank, passages leading from theboiler to, the heater and from the heater to the receiving tank and asuction means for forming a partial vacuum in the heater for drawing thecondensate therefrom during and after the steaming operation.

22. In an apparatus for Waving hair by steam heat, a Wound tress heater,a steam boiler, a condensate receiving tank, passages leading from theboiler to the heater and from the heater to the receiving tank and asuction means for forming a partial vacuum in the heater for drawing thecondensate therefrom after the steaming operation has been completed.

23. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,a steam boiler, a condensate receiving tank, a vacuum pump, a passageleading from the boiler to the heater and a passage leading from theheater to the receiving tank through the vacuum pump whereby a partialvacuum can be formed in the heater for drawing the condensate therefrom.

24. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,a steam boiler, a condensate receiving tank, a vacuum pump, a passageleading from the boiler to the heater, a valved passage leading from theheater directly to the receiving tank and a valved passage leading fromsaid last named passage through the vacuum pump to the receiving tankwhereby a partial vacuum can be formed in the heater for drawing thecondensate therefrom.

25. In an apparatus for waving hair by steam heat, a wound tress heater,a boiler, a boiler water feed tank, its boiler water feed pump, acondensate receiving tank, a vacuum pump, a passage connecting the feedtank with the boiler through the feed pump, a passage connecting theboiler with the heater,

a valved passage connecting the heater with the receivm tank and avalved passage connecting the ast named passage with the receiving tankthrough the vacuum pump whereby a partial vacuum can be formed in theheater for drawing the condensate therefrom.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name this 15th day of January 1931.

HOWARD R. VAN KIRK.

